


Nemo

by Viola_Telcontar



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Drugging, Eventual Smut, F/M, Jyn is never left behind by Saw, Jyn is still a Partisan, Sabotage, Undercover, Violence, dubcon, set a year before Rogue One
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-11-18 03:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11283249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viola_Telcontar/pseuds/Viola_Telcontar
Summary: No one, no one knows the name "Jyn Erso“, Saw made sure of that, as he made sure that no Partisan ever had any doubt of Liana Hallik’s place among them. At 21 she is one of Saw’s most trusted soldiers. So trusted (and expendable) that she is sent on a solo mission to infiltrate and sabotage the Sentinel Class Imperial Cargo Ship “Spectre”.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the story I wanted to write.  
> I wanted your typical FIX-IT for the characters but realized that my AU's starting point was much further back than I imagined. If you encounter dangling threads, it's because the plot point were meant to be important later on (alas, I'm really not much of a writer, so I post what could stand on its own.)
> 
> This is unbeta-ed for the lack of socializing on my part for the last 10 years (there simply is no one to ask).  
> Hence, concrit is more than welcome!

**Chapter One**

_That one_ , Jyn thought. _The lieutenant with the dark hair and brown eyes sitting three tables down to her right._

It had taken almost a month on board the Spectre for “Kestrel Dawn” to find out who of the officers had the right kind of access and authority level on this cursed cargo ship.  And she would meet one tonight.

A month in the heart of the Empire; a month living among enemies, eating with Imps, sleeping next to Imps, talking to Imps, slapping patches of bacta on Imps, _being_ an Imp field medic. The always dutiful, helpful, thoroughly - happily - indoctrinated Kestrel who worshipped the Emperor. The act still made her skin crawl, brought the acrid taste of bile to her tongue.

And today, she would attempt to seduce an Imp.

As much as she loathed the idea, it was the only way to steal the activation codes for the enormous amount of explosives lying in the belly of the vessel and blow the entire monstrosity to nothing more than insipid interstellar dust.

He didn’t mingle with the lower ranks, as far as she could discern. Lt. Joreth Sward had the reputation of a loner, recently assigned to his post (he had been on board only two months longer than her). He hadn’t made any friends and only kept his strange KX series droid for company. He was so secluded that she had to look out for him to notice his presence.

Impeccably dressed and groomed, clean-shaven, hair slicked back and behavior always by the book, Jyn had quite the job sliced out for her. _How do you get someone like that to behave less than professional?_

The mess hall was one of the only places where the officer wasn’t accompanied by his looming droid. If rumor was to be trusted that unit was not exactly behaving as it should, having been caught muttering inappropriate things around the troopers. She clung to that rumor, it meant that Sward’s diligence to protocol was perhaps not entirely absolute. _What a meager basis for hope!_

The trooper next to her stood up and nodded in her direction. JX-3613, _Jay_ , one of her bunkmates who always tried to rope her into conversations. He shouldn’t. Her cover was a zealous volunteer while he was one of those coerced and reconditioned to become the Empire’s cannon fodder. There usually wasn’t much love lost between these two fractions. Her gaze followed his retreating form, (dark eyes, dark hair, dark skin, a stark contrast to the white armor, bright walls, silvery furniture surrounding them,) while he passed by the two dozen tables nodding here and there in the direction of his friends.

_If an Imp had any friends._

How she hated the sterile, squeaky clean design of the Spectre, that garish cold light, unforgiving and ghastly to the eye. The way it revealed everything, every little flaw and wrinkle in the pedantically planned procedures on the ship; the endless corridors with countless doors; how in every checkpoint there was an alcove for cover intended for more guards than could possibly be housed on the ship (all of it the design of a supremely paranoid mind). It was made to be hated.

Her eyes darted back to her target.

The better part of last week she had spent reprogramming an Astromech to tail K2-SO for the duration of the meal. It wouldn’t be the first time that an Imp had tinkered with a droid’s programming as a prank. No one would make much out of another incident. Any moment now, the unit should have been noticed and provide a distraction that ought to buy her at least half an hour.

_How long does it take for an Imp to get interested?_

Jyn had learned as much about the lieutenant as she could to get some reading on him. He was a blank slate, was the sum of her intel. No known proclivities, no known peculiarities, no known _personality_. Off enough in his behavior to make her take the chance, low enough on the ladder that hers could be brushed off as insignificant should her plan back-fire. Still, it seemed that he was relatively well liked.

The chances of failure were limited.

If she had to, she would sleep her way up to an admiral to get those damn codes, one man at a time (or even more men at a time if it came to that). Though Jyn prayed to every deity whose name she had ever heard that she wouldn’t have to. In any case, she would make damn sure that Saw knew precisely how much he owed her and what it had cost her once she could finally make contact again.

 _At least he’s handsome_ , she thought, watching Sward’s sharp features. Not that it would make it any better, just less revolting. The greater threat were his wits. ‘ _He’s smart, that one,’_ Jay had told her, ever the eager gossip. ‘ _He got where he is at for a reason.’_ She had to make sure that the good man didn’t do too much thinking with his head when she finally met him.

She had a sonic scalpel ready in her hip-pack. The perks of being a field medic. Discreetly, she unzipped her grey jumpsuit a bit more, revealing that she had forgone an undershirt this morning. It couldn’t hurt to show some more cleavage.

Nevertheless, this was risky business, as simple as her plan was: a small “accidental” cut, offer to patch him up as an apology, shameless flirting to test the waters, get access to his quarters, thoroughly distract him, steal the activation codes, end this in glorious fire.

_Oh, she was grasping at straws._

The mess hall was crowded after the end of the second watch. Stormtroopers bustled in an out, practically standing on each other’s feet in the lines. Most were still wearing armor and had just removed their helmets. Food offered the only distraction on this transport that promised any kind of comfort for them. Most of the time, they were drilled hours upon hours on the flight decks mindlessly waiting for dispatch.

Another group of six had arrived, more boisterous and unruly than the rest. She could make someone bump into her easily right behind Sward’s seat.

 _Now or never._ Jyn picked up her empty tray and moved his way. Her hand slipped into the hip-pack and clutched the scalpel. A small cut in the fabric through which it fell, and it would look like she had been merely sloppy with her instruments, nothing more sinister. _Easy. Simple._ Perhaps not elegant, but as far as plans go, it was the best she could come up with left to her own devices.

Jyn weaved through the tables. Timing now was essential. She pulled closer with measured steps keeping an eye on the newly arrived troopers who made their way over in her direction _. Just two more steps._ She cut a hole in the hip-pack. The first Imp half turned around mid-stride to his comrades to shoot some inane remark at them.

_Perfect!_

_BANG!_ She tumbled into the group just as the trooper turned back.

And _damn it_ , she had very much underestimated the momentum. Her tray was send flying out of her hand, her body spinning right behind, crashing right into her intended target. But not at all _how_ she had planned it!

She found herself half lying on top of the table Lt. Sward was sitting at, steading herself with one hand in his bowl, the other way up high on his thigh, breath knocked out of her lungs from her side colliding with the hard edge, sonic scalpel still secure in her pack, momentarily forgotten. The only thing preventing her from falling down further was his hand at her waist.

Absolutely nothing was fake about her surprise. She blinked stupidly for a moment, unable to comprehend what an utter mess she had landed in. _Best laid plans..._

Most of the lieutenant’s food had spilled onto him (and her) and his own surprise had rapidly morphed into a harsh scowl. A horrifying moment of utter silence reigned, while every single face in the mess hall was turned their way.

Then the trooper remembered his manners and started firing a string of apologies (at the officer, not her, no less) roughly at the same time she did. Much of the food had landed on Sward’s lap (where one of her hands still very much rested). She slowly removed her other hand from his bowl and dared another look at him. The scowl was still there, but the corners of his eyes had an inkling of relaxing to them. The mess hall went back to minding their own business when the expected explosion didn’t materialize.

“Are you hurt, medic?” Beneath his clipped tone, some softer accent hid. Jyn couldn’t quite place it other than outside the core worlds.

“No, sir! I’m sorry, sir!” She slowly sorted out her limbs while the lieutenant shooed the offending troopers away (who made for a very quick, very relieved escape). Her hand slipped imperceptibly (mostly involuntarily) even higher up his thigh when she angled her body to free herself from her precarious position and his attention snapped back to her, his fingers on her waist tightening. She didn’t have to fake a blush, it came without prompting.

“Allow me...” she started and then knew not how to continue. _Allow me to seductively rub the food off your lap in front of half a regiment of stromtroopers? Allow me to get you out of your messy pants or rather myself into them?_

She was close enough to see him swallow down an amused grin. “It is quite alright… Dawn,” he said and removed his hand. His gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary on her name tag, eyes slowly sweeping over her cleavage _. Good, he’s enjoying the view._ There was a hint of a smile on his face. She finally stood up, brushing at his side in a way that almost seemed unintentional.

“I feel like I owe you a meal, Lieutenant,” she said, “and a couple of clean clothes.” She gave him a wolfish kind of grin that clearly transmitted her interest.

 _A mistake_. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly happened. Joreth Sward’s look turned icy in the blink of an eye. “It was an accident, medic. You owe me nothing.” His accent was more clipped than before, almost harsh at the edges. The sudden shift in mood gave her a whiplash _. He had given every indication of interest!_

Before Jyn could properly react he left his seat, picked up her tray and shoved it in her arms. “I will try to forget this episode ever happened and you won’t ever mention it to me again. Understood, Dawn?” He avoided looking at her.

“Yes, sir,” she weakly answered.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I have to change out of my uniform.” All she could do was to follow his retreating figure with her eyes. The looming shape of his droid appeared at the door. Sward stopped for a brief moment to say something to the KX unit and Jyn felt the its optical sensors focusing on her. It should be impossible for a machine to appear disapproving but, somehow, this one managed.

 _Oh, it_ clearly _was not behaving as it should._

And, clearly, the lieutenant’s less than absolute diligence to protocol did not extend to actual human beings. Her pride probably shouldn’t be as wounded by his rejection as it was.

_Kriffing hell, next time she wouldn’t bother with a rank below at least a captain! And next time she would go for the plan with the cutting. At least that way, if she was smart about it, they couldn’t escape!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The next time Jyn saw him, she was hard in pursuit of a captain. Lt. Sward appeared suddenly in her sight with his droid looming while she patched up her new prey.

The Spectre was by any kind of definition a simply gigantic ship, so even when she was mostly transporting weapons and hardly any troops, crossing ways with someone who was stationed in a different unit ought to be limited to the mess hall. Jyn’s paranoia was immediately awakened. She had given quite a memorable first impression to the lieutenant and the last thing in the universe she needed was to be immediately recognizable to an Imp if she could help it. 

The empty cargo bay had been bustling with Stormtroopers less than half an hour ago, the sound of blaster fire reverberating off the naked white walls while the soldiers practiced their target shooting with improvised dummies dressed up in discarded amor. A seemingly jammed blaster had ended up not being jammed after all and the captain’s upper arm had fallen victim to that mistake.

Once the troopers had left, she had managed to get the guy to take off his shirt in less than five minutes flat. She even had put up a commendable show of admiring his physique, all bulky muscle, when the movement at the door alerted her to Sward’s presence. The lieutenant’s eyes took in the scene with a strange, dark intensity that had Jyn struggle to suppress squirming. She involuntary stepped forward, closer to her patient, and only realized what she had done after the fact. The blond man’s responding smirk was directed at Sward, and she was tempted to jab at the wound in displeasure.

“Captain Marron, you are wanted on Deck Nine.” The tone was clipped and his accent completely absent. He approached them stiffly, while his droid remained at the door. “Immediately,” Sward added when his words were soundly ignored, “Kay-Tu will escort you.”

Jyn was less than pleased with him ending her flirt just as is started to look promising. “I’m sure it can wait until I have finished treating the Captain,” she said and very deliberately put a hand on Marron’s lower arm, essentially claiming him for herself. The answering grin he shot Sward carried even more smugness than the one before. She felt a wicked kind of triumph at that. _She had the guy pretty much hooked_.

“I’m just delivering orders, medic,” Sward replied with knit brows. Disapproval oozed from his every pore, much like it had from his droid in the mess hall.

“We wouldn’t want to get the Lieutenant in trouble for not getting me, would we, Kestrel?” Marron said with a patronizing air that made Jyn secretly shudder. He patted her hand on his arm like she was a good little lap dog and went to retrieve his shirt from the floor where he had discarded it next to the empty wrappings of the bacta patch. He made a show of grinning and winking at her with those cold blue eyes when he left.

 _Marking his territory_ , Jyn thought in disdain. _He’d performed as much for her benefit as he had for Sward’s._ She made an equal show of watching him retreat because she could feel the other man’s eyes on her. _Always observing, that one._

With an “after you” to the KX unit Marron and the droid left the cargo hold and she was alone with the lieutenant.

Who was still staring at her.

She locked eyes with him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The moment of silence stretched while he continued his assessment of her. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively to hide her growing nerves. Right now, he was being extremely unsettling.

“Is there anything else, Lieutenant?” she caved in.

He took his time answering her. “You should be careful. He’s not exactly known for his kindness.”

Jyn stood up straighter and let her arms fall to her side in surprise. She had no idea what to make of this. _Jealousy_ was the the first thought. _Or maybe he was just rising to the captain’s challenge._

“I’m not after kindness, sir.” It came out more aggressive than she had intended. _You had your chance_. It felt good to be petulant. _Petty revenge for his earlier rejection_. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what she was getting into with Marron. There was no rumor about him that she hadn’t already heard.

Sward’s eyes held an amused spark. “I imagine not, Kestrel.” _Damn it_ , she liked the way his voice softened with that accent. “Nevertheless, he’s dangerous.”

“Can’t a girl enjoy a little bit of danger here and there?” She was back to flirting with him, _Force help her_. She should concentrate on one man at a time, she really should.

“There are different kinds of danger. Some are more rewarding than others,” he replied, his smile no longer hidden. He looked much younger that way, much… _warmer_. She watched that smile silently, trying to decide whether or not to take the bait. Something lurked beneath his façade. Her nerves tinkled with foreboding.

“Why do I have the feeling that you are much more dangerous than the captain?” she asked almost unwillingly. If she wanted to play that game she had to be very careful. Still, his sudden interest in her could be nothing more than wanting to upstage Marron. In the end, it didn’t matter much if it gave her access to the explosives.

He didn’t answer, waiting for her with that stupid smile. _More rewarding. Right_. It annoyed her to no end that, perhaps, he really _was_ more rewarding than the alternative. _More interesting in any case_.

Jyn took a step forward, never breaking eye contact. His reaction was subtle. She was close enough now that he had to tilt his head down to hold her gaze. The set of his shoulders was faintly more relaxed. A miniscule movement made him lean into her, getting closer, however slightly. And there was a cocksure look on his face.

She bent down to pick up the empty bacta wrappings, very deliberately breaking the moment. If Sward was in this game to outcompete Captain Marron, she certainly would give him a bit of a challenge. And if there was some other reason for his sudden interest he might be much less inclined to indulge her with a bit of resistance.

She could see in the set of his legs that he had stiffened at her maneuver. She didn’t bother hiding the small laugh that escaped her, but she looked up at him with a toothy grin when she got up again. The smile was wiped from his face, but she couldn’t detect any anger in him. One of his brows was inquisitively risen, his expression intense. _Like he was trying to figure her out, mentally readjusting his idea of her._ The overwhelming need to squirm returned. Maybe she had once again struck the wrong note with him.

They still stood too close to each other and she let the moment linger a bit more, trying to find a balance between keeping him engaged and pushing him away. _Sward and Marron. Marron and Sward._ A game for three. A possibility. A race to find out which one of them would be more eager to spill out the Empire’s dirty secrets to her. She would need a lot of patience for that kind of game. And Jyn was the opposite of patient. This would be a _kriffing_ struggle.

“I will keep your words in mind, Joreth,” she said eventually. On her way out, she brushed at his side. It almost seemed unintentional.

She didn’t look back to see if he watched her retreat.

 

* * *

 

“If anyone can hear me, please copy.” Jyn tried and failed to keep the desperation out of her voice. She was sure anyone listening in to her message would immediately know she was deep in trouble.

The commlink was made only for short distance transmissions. They had planned to bypass its limitations by hooking it to the Spectre’s own communication system and hiding the signal in subroutines of the ship’s messages, and for the first 10 days of her mission, Jyn had been able to reach the Partisans without difficulties.

Then contact was lost.

Footsteps approached the small storage room she was hiding in. She cowered in a dark corner, behind shelves filled with boxes of every size imaginable. Her anxiety to reestablish communication made her take some unwise risks, she knew, but there would be no one to pick her up after the mission was completed if Saw considered her dead. She held her breath and waited until the steps faded, before she turned back to work on the communicator.

“Benthic, are you there?” she pleaded, desperately hoping for the Tognath pilot to answer. The signal could not be amplified anymore without triggering any kind of alarm in the Imperial’s system. If he didn’t pick up the message now, there was nothing more she could do.

Static was all she heard. “I continue according to plan. We will meet at the assigned time and place. All is under control,” she spoke into the void.

She needed help. While she could blow up the freighter all on her own, she didn’t fancy this sabotage turning into a suicide mission. What she needed most of all, however, was the reassurance that she wasn’t alone. She resented herself for that kind of sentimental weakness, but she needed to cling on to the hope that something was waiting for her at the end. _Something to return to. Something to fight for._

Giving up, she slid the commlink into her pocket and went back to the terminal at the door she had been using before she had impulsively decided to go for a last attempt at contact. Freight lists were her objective. She needed to build a time fuse from scratch and had finally realized that by stealing only scraps from droid repairs she would never get all the needed components in time.  

There were enough power cells and triodes to light up half a moon hidden in an escape pod nearby but neither thermionic valves nor Junction Field Effectors could be found anywhere in the junk she had access to. She had already started to wonder how much fuss would be raised if an Astromech went missing without trace, when she suddenly remembered that piles of electronics lay in the cargo bays that weren’t used, hence missed, until they reached their destination.

She filed through the data, keeping an ear on the noise in the corridor outside. The Spectre was filled to the brim with explosives, grenades, bombs, missiles, even mines. The chain reaction that would result from her sabotage was bound to be spectacular. She skimmed the lists in search of the system’s directory. Anger drove her movements. Any stupid droid would have been through the entire database long before she even found the correct subfolder.

A relieved sigh escaped her when she finally found the complete manifest. Her eyes scanned the items until her gaze was suddenly arrested by something entirely unexpected.

_Kyber crystals, Project ‘Stardust’._

Her mind went blank. _“I love you, Stardust.”_ The words echoed through her memory in her father’s voice.

_“Whatever I do, I do it to protect you. Say you understand.”_

_“I understand.”_

Instinctively her hand moved to her neck in search of the crystal she had left with Saw. Her mother’s necklace. Her mother’s last words, _“Trust the Force.”_

What did the Empire want with Kyber crystals?

 _“The Jedi used Kyber crystals for their lightsabers.”_ Her mother’s voice soothed her with bed-time stories, half forgotten.

Jyn shook her head to chase away the memories she had repressed for years. Buried alongside her real name. “Liana Hallik” was who she was now, who she had been for years. The Erso name was history, no more than a shadow. Saw had ordered her to forget her past, and she had diligently obeyed, no matter how much he was driven by paranoia and not reason.

She checked for more information but could not find anything either about the Kyber or Project ‘Stardust’. _Of course not. She was looking at measly freight lists._ She shook her head again and gathered her thoughts. _Focus on the task ahead._

The electronics she needed were on Deck Seven, Section B2. That was where she had to direct her attention.

She pressed her ear to the door and listened intently. After she ensured that no one was there, she slipped out of the storage room and hurried to the next turbolift.

Her luck held. Most of the Imps were asleep. While there was no strictly defined day and night routine on board other than three 10 hour shifts, the admiralty had timed their arrival in such a way that the majority of troops would be most alert on the spot, once they reached their destination. So, in a way, the Spectre had a “grave yard” shift, without being planet bound. Kestrel Dawn had volunteered for a lot of them. It had served her well in the last few weeks.

The doors slid open with a soft hiss when she reached Deck Seven, and Jyn cautiously stepped into the empty corridor. She turned left and hurried along. In a few moments a patrol should –

“Halt!”

A small curse escaped her lips. Of course they were ahead of their scheduled run. _Of course!_ She turned around to face the two stormtroopers approaching her.

“What are you doing here, medic?” one of them asked her.

She stood at attention. “Routine inspection of first aid medkits, soldier.” The lie came easy.

“Now?” the other asked and exchanged a look with his partner. “Do you have a permit?”

She grinned apologetically. “Sorry, guys, this is unofficial. This section was forgotten during the last check. Perhaps we could keep this… private?” _Was the tone too casual? Too pleading?_ She waited with bated breath.

“ID card,” the first one ordered. She handed it over dutifully for inspection, hand surprisingly steady.

“Aren’t you the one who had that run in with Sward?” the second Imp asked.

She managed a convincing flinch. “Right. I’m famous now?”

Both troopers laughed. “I would have loved to see it. He’s always so…”

“Prim and proper?” Jyn suggested diplomatically. It earned her another bark of laughter.

“All right, Dawn. We haven’t seen a thing. Just hurry.” He handed her the ID back and they turned to continue their patrol.

“Thanks, I owe you,” she called to their retreating forms, and heaved a sigh. She could kiss Sward for that one.

Section B2 was just a few steps ahead. She slipped into the cargo unit easily. In a matter of minutes, she had everything she needed to turn the Spectre into a death trap. Jyn grinned.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to say it last chapter but concrit is more than welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a brief little update.
> 
> A big thanks to anyone leaving feedback. You're all lovely people!  
> I'm sorry that I currently don't have the time to answer all your comments. They are still very much appreciated and welcome (concrit of every kind is also wanted, especially since I subject you poor lot to something not beta-read).
> 
> My original plan to finish this story (well, fragment of a bigger AU that probably won't get completed in the next 2 decades) in 5 chapters pretty much died. Today, I started chapter 6.

**Chapter Three**

Jyn was grateful for the slow graveyard shift. She had managed to convince the attending doctor to sleep in one of the spare beds while she took over. The medbay was every bit as empty as the rest of the ship. The lack of troops on this transport run meant that the Spectre had a plethora of vacant quarters and rooms which granted everyone on board the rare luxury of sleeping arrangement intended for much higher ranks than they held. People were spread. Even those who weren’t reassigned more spacious quarters ended up just unofficially seizing them, as most officers turned a blind eye.

Unfortunately, that meant a lot of the suites she had intended to break into to slice through the ship’s systems for intel were occupied and too dangerous to explore.

Fortunately, it meant that she was reasonably certain not to be disturbed while she used her absent attending doctor’s account to methodically rifle through every even mildly interesting medical file she could think of.

Not that her search had amounted to anything more thrilling than an admiral’s apparent addiction to opioids, a general’s colorful history of STDs that pointed to some very shameful encounters outside the venues the Imps usually felt could be ignored (and with… _organisms…_ that certainly fell far from what would be considered anywhere close to appropriate). _Or a lengthy account of Captain Marron’s recurring struggle with hemorrhoids._

In short, her effort procured invaluable information for someone whose intend to hurt the Empire was somewhat broader and subtler than Saw’s. Still, she had the data copied to pass along for those rare moments when nostalgia (actually rather her persistent nudging) made him soft enough to allow for miniscule contact with some of his old comrades from the Rebellion.

Jyn had pretty much given up on holding herself back and ventured into the file of one Joreth Sward, when, suddenly, the man himself appeared at the medbay.

He half carried, half dragged a trooper with him, his appearance so unexpected she jumped.

“Lieutenant?”

“He has burns from a malfunctioning fuse, Dawn. Where’s the doctor?”

And off she was to fetch help while Sward led the man to the next hover chair.

Much later, after the caustic solution from the fuse had been completely removed, the trooper sedated and the medic shooed back to sleep, she found him at the place in the doctor’s office she had vacated with his medical file still on display _. Force help her_.

“Yes, I looked you up.” She knew any kind of denial would be futile.

His head snapped up. The corner of his mouth imperceptibly curled up.

She leaned against the wall next to the door for support, careful not to betray the shivers running up and down her spine.

“You realize that someone of your rank and position shouldn’t have access to this kind of sensitive information?”

“Neither should you, Lieutenant. Yet, here we are.”

He grinned at her, not bothering to deny that he had spied on her. Cold sweat ran down her back.

“Well, did you learn anything interesting, Kestrel?”

“Believe it or not, I just opened your file when you barged in. I haven’t read a single word.” She swallowed despite her dry mouth. “So, what now? Will you report me?”

Heavy silence spread between them and Jyn’s stomach coiled. She had an emergency exit plan that entirely hinged on her getting to the escape pod next to her quarters _. Too far away._

“That depends on how you will answer my next question.”

She cursed her kriffing sloppiness. “What question?” she dared to ask. To someone unaware of her boiling panic it might have sounded suggestive.

He got up from the chair and came for her. She fought down the urge to run. All of a sudden, he was so close. Placing one hand right beside her head and leaning his body down to her, he effectively trapped her at the wall without even touching her.

“What’s your interest in me?” he asked in a low voice, his breath brushing her cheek.

 _He doesn’t know!_ The realization hit her like a tsunami. _He doesn’t suspect!_ He would have never asked that question if he had noticed her sniffing out the top brass. He would have grabbed her at once, ensured that she couldn’t escape. They would be halfway to interrogation. Her head swam with relief. She swallowed again, searching his eyes for any sign of suspicion and finding none.

“What do you think my interest is, Joreth?” she whispered. She felt lightheaded from the way her fear dissipated into a sea of hope, boneless and shivery.

His hand brushed her side, landing warm and heavy on her hip. “That’s not an answer,” he replied.

She dared. Dared to lift her hand up and rest it lightly on his cheek. Dared to let her thumb trace the corner of his smart mouth in a shadowy touch. “Does that mean you will report me now?”

She felt his smile under her fingers. The heat his skin radiated seeped into her, flowing from her hip where his hand rested (still the only place he actually touched her) to every other part of her. She let the reaction of her body take over, allowing want to awaken. The more she permitted base instinct to drive her on, the more she would be able to convince him of her sincerity. He leaned down even further and she sighed in answer. His hot breath on her ear gave her goosebumps.

“You will find my room number in the file,” he whispered, lips so impossibly close to her skin but still, still not touching. Before she could think to react, he broke off and vanished through the door.

She felt the sudden chill of his absence _. Marron and Sward. Sward and Marron. She was so screwed._ A few breaths long she stayed where she was, letting the weakness in her bones fall away until she didn’t need the support of the wall anymore.

Then she went to the cabinet where the drugs were kept, took a mild sedative out and slipped the pill into her pocket. From his file, she could determine what dosage was needed to knock Sward out without him noticing that she had slipped him something. There was a bottle of Corellian whiskey at her quarter she had obtained just for this opportunity.

She returned to the doctor’s desk. Her shift would last two more hours.  With a sigh, Jyn looked up his room number.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Seduction Part 2**

Jyn had never been sentimental when it came to sex. She just never cared very much for her lovers. She simply didn’t crave any kind of intimacy. She didn’t seek love. The act had always been a valve to release pressure, a way to deal with stress. Something you did in a dark hallway hidden from prying eyes for the brief moments you could steal away between Saw’s raids. Fast, hard and dirty, as she liked it.

She had never fucked an Imperial.

The bottle of Corellian whiskey lay heavy in her sweaty hand. _Slippery_. The sedative in the pocket of her jumpsuit was a ghostly weight, the anchor holding her to her mission. _A small white pill that reminded her who she really was. A Partisan. A fighter. A saboteur._ _The Spectre’s Destruction_.

The truth was that she enjoyed the idea of fucking Sward. She would kill him, in the end, like all the others. But she would make the most of their encounter first.

Finally, after the rocky start of her mission - the loss of contact with the partisans a particularly heavy set-back -, a bit of luck had found her. Lt. Sward, she had realized, was one of those fortunate officers who had ended up in a vacant quarter far more spacious than his rank should allow him. The man currently lived in a _kriffing suite_. He had his own fresher, his own bedroom and (most importantly) a small living area with its own desk. A desk that came equipped with a terminal where all of his important, very classified, authorization and access codes were stowed. Like the activation codes for a good chunk of the explosives the ship was carrying.

All she had to do was to get the sedative into him and, well, _exhaust_ him enough that he was none the wiser waking up. Once he was out, Jyn had all the time in the world to hack into his files and retrieve all she needed. He would get up the next morning with a small hangover, but pleasant memories, and she could lay low for the next ten days until the Spectre finally was in range of her designated rendezvous point with the Partisans (she hoped they hadn’t given up on extracting her yet, despite the loss of contact).

_Then she would end this._

The corridors were empty. Just the obligatory patrols roamed the ship at this hour and Jyn had memorized their rotation long ago. Like for all medics, Kestrel Dawn’s ID card allowed her emergency access to most restricted areas which made sneaking around fairly easy. So smooth was her progress that she almost dared to hope. Still, she hesitated in front of his door. A thousand possibilities of screw-ups swirled through her mind. She banished the thoughts. She had to _stop thinking_ for a few hours, or she would give herself away.

She knocked resolutely. Never allowing herself to appear hesitant. _Kestrel Dawn was eager_.

His eye took her in and she had to smile. Gone was the pristine, proper Imperial officer. He wore a loose shirt and pants, hair mussed, feet bare. But for all he appeared to have come straight out of bed, his gaze was alert and awake.

After a long while just studying her, as if he was surprised she’d actually come, he stepped back to let her in. In passing, she shoved the bottle in his arms. “I come bearing gifts.”

She briskly marched into his living area, taking in her surroundings. A small kitchenette on the far side, the desk with the terminal squeezed into a corner, a looming KX series security droid recharging, sitting still as a statue in another corner… _Well, frak it!_

“You have an interesting taste in interior design,” she remarked, eyeing the thing with disgust. _This was torture. So close to her goal and a pile of stupid metal and scrambled circuits would ruin it all!_

Sward had moved to the kitchenette to fetch two glasses and pour the whiskey. “Ignore him. He’ll be gone as soon as he’s fully recharged.”

Her eyes had already snapped back to him, following every graceful movement. He was much more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. He noticed her look when he turned around. One step and he stood before her, handing her the drink. She let her fingers linger over his before taking the glass, only breaking off contact to take a sip.

The burn down her throat was a welcome distraction. The liquor warmed her after the sheer endless shift on medbay. She felt herself unravel a bit, a weight easing off.

Not only was he more relaxed, she noticed, but also a great deal more handsome, disheveled like this. She was glad for her attraction, it would make this so much easier.

“I didn’t take you for someone who likes an audience,” she said, all cheeky grin.

“And I took you for someone who does,” he answered, perhaps thinking of the show she had put on with Captain Marron. “But maybe I’m all wrong about you, Kestrel. Why so shy all of a sudden?”

She laughed. “I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of shyness before.” _Did he sense somehow that she was hiding?_ She refused to let that suspicion take root.

He opted not to reply. Instead, he was back at studying her, mouth hidden behind his drink. She found it didn’t unsettle her as much anymore, but perhaps that had something to do with the alcohol. Or with the way his eyes seemed to linger on her lips.

You had to give it to him, Joreth Sward was a patient man, standing there before her, just a step away, intention clear, but he waited for her to come to him.

Jyn finished her drink quickly. _Two could play that game_.

She stepped forward, but brushed past him at the last moment, setting her glass down and reaching for the whiskey. His answering chuckle was soft. She looked over her shoulder at him and rose the bottle in a silent question. He gulped down the rest of his drink and handed her his empty glass.

It was the easiest thing in the world to slip the sedative out of her pocket and quickly crumble it into his glass before pouring the liquor.

“What made you change your mind?” she inquired, attempting to distract him until all traces of the white powder had dissolved in the alcohol.

“Change my mind about what?” he asked.

“Inviting me into your bed.”

Clearly, he had not expected this kind of directness. He stiffened.

“Is this some kind of competition between you and Marron?” she inquired.

“No,” he answered flatly. _Liar! What else could it be?_

“Good.” She turned to him and handed over the spiked drink. “I’m a selfish creature. I don’t want to share you with him in bed.”

“Perish the thought.” He shuddered and took a big swig from his glass, almost emptying it. 

She laughed. And then she kissed him.

It was impossible of course but she imagined she could taste the drug on this breath. He opened his lips to her and she lazily explored his mouth. The kiss was soft and warm, and she smiled when she pulled away.

Again, she brushed past him, stepped away and settled her glass on his desk next to where she noted his ID card sat, before she bend down to take off her boots, peel off her socks and dump them unceremoniously on the floor. She felt him move behind her, getting closer. She undid her braid, while he put his empty glass beside hers, body pressed against her back. His hand brushed a strand of hair away to allow his lips to slowly explore the skin on the nape of her neck, mouth wandering leisurely down to her shoulder. She sighed and leaned back into his touch, unable to stop herself.

His hands settled on her hips and then roamed to study the shape of her before he reached for her belt buckle and undid it. It fell to the floor with a dull thud from the medpack attached to the belt. Her ID card clattered slightly on the hard surface. She turned around in his arms to face him. His lips captured hers again, and this time it escalated quickly.

A primal hunger awakened in her. She grabbed his shirt and roughly pulled him closer while her mouth relentlessly devoured him. He answered with the same passion, hands pressing her closer to him, tongue exploring her. She let her hands wander up his body, combing through his silky hair and ended up digging her nails in his skin, desperate for more.

Breathless and dazed, she finally broke the kiss. She had to lean away and reach behind with both hands to steady herself against his desk.

 “It seems like the eternally self-restrained Lieutenant Sward has more to him than his steely composure suggests,” she mildly teased, buying herself some time to regain her breath.

His answer was to reach for her zipper and slowly peel off her jumpsuit. First the left arm was freed, then, gently, the right, fabric slipping down her body, pooling at her feet.

“I’ve never before appreciated quite how practical these things are,” he finally said with a smirk. She just grinned and hoisted herself onto his desktop, struggling to free her legs.

Only in her top and underwear, she beckoned him over. He gingerly stepped between her legs and she kissed him again. Slower this time, slipping her hands under his shirt and relishing the warmth of his skin, the way his muscles moved under her fingers when he grabbed her thighs and pulled her to him. She felt his erection through his pants, so close to her center, and moaned into his mouth.

He slipped one hand under her top, rubbing circles into her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. The other cupped her breast, thumb teasing her through the fabric. _She needed more. So much more._

It would still be a while before the sedative properly kicked in. She had to hurry this or it would end with much less fun than she’d hoped.

She hooked her legs behind his back, almost making him stumble onto her. The friction of him rubbing against her was enough to make her break the kiss and gasp.

“So eager.” He laughed softly. It almost made her self-conscious. _Almost._

“It’s been way too long,” she whispered in his ear. _Truth_. Jyn had very nearly forgotten how fantastic sex felt. Still, she roughly pushed him away and hopped off the desk. “But not so long that I will screw you in front of that droid.” _Lie._ She was so wet already she absolutely would if she had to.

His confused glance in the direction of the KX unit proved that at least one of them had completely forgotten that it was still in the room.

She was half way into his bedroom before he caught up. His hands reached for her hips as he followed her into the smaller room. The door shut to cut out the offending presence of the droid.

An insistent tuck made her turn back to him and their lips met again in a passionate kiss. She stumbled backwards and he pinned her against the wall. Her hands had snuck under his shirt again, tracing the length of his spine with her nails.

His nimble fingers traveled to her waist and further. One palm came to rest grabbing her ass while the other moved between her thighs. The feeling of his hand through the fabric of her underwear, hovering just where she wanted him most almost made her lose control. She moaned into the kiss, hips bucking against him. The friction between their bodies was delicious.

They were still way too dressed but already she was slick with want and he could feel it even through the fabric. His lips trailed down her jawline and she couldn’t stop bucking her hips into him again. He groaned into the skin of her neck. The sound was intoxicating. She needed him inside her fast.

She tucked at his shirt roughly, and, understanding her meaning, he stepped back and quickly removed it. Jyn took him in, leaning against the wall with a small breathless smile. His skin was flushed, his breath heavy and his dark eyes burned with lust. She let her eyes wander freely across every plane of his body, noting every silvery scar written into his skin. Under his pants his hardness was very visible. _Some dangers are more rewarding than others._

Quickly, she removed her top. His eyes drank her in with that familiar intensity. Much more slowly, she unwrapped her breastband. His gaze was glued to the movement, before it too roamed across her skin, burning her with the heat of his stare.

She put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. He willingly retreated to the bed without taking his eyes off her. She felt the erratic beat of his heart under her palm.  An insistent shove had him fall backwards on the bunk. She lost no time relieving him of his pants. Standing above him, Jyn again allowed herself a moment to linger and have her gaze roam freely, taking all of him in, from his challenging grin to his eager cock.

Slowly she touched herself, letting her fingers wander down from her lips to her breast and further down still to sneak under her slip. His breath hitched, while he watched her leisurely stroking her clit. Gone was the grin. His teeth worried his lower lip. The passion in his eyes made her skin feel ablaze.

She applied more pressure and couldn’t suppress a whimper. It was all it took to break his restraint. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed her. Jyn found herself flat on her back on his bunk, while he quickly did away with her underwear. Her laughter turned into a gasp when his hand found its way between her legs.

He hovered above her, watching her reactions intently while his finger slowly circled her clit. She arched into his touch, unable and unwilling to suppress her moans. His grin clearly showed how pleased he was to find her so ready for him. She grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and roughly pulled him down into a scorching kiss. The pressure of his strokes became more insistent and she retaliated by biting his lower lip. He broke off to observe her for a moment.

“I should have expected you to be troublesome,” he said as he slipped a finger into her. All Jyn could do was incoherently whimper in response. His hand was a divine torment igniting a wave of pleasure and her mouth hungrily sought his again. The unrelenting rhythm of his strokes drove her slowly out of her mind. A second finger deliberately joined and she was so close to the edge. Her hips bucked into his touch and she senselessly clutched his shoulder hard enough to bruise.

She broke off the kiss. “I want you… inside me,” she panted. “Now!” Impatiently she reached for his cock. He growled in pleasure when she slid her fingers along his shaft. He was so hard and ready for her. Apparently Jyn had found herself the one Imperial in the universe who actually was willing to hold back instead of just ruthlessly seizing what he desired.

He removed his fingers from inside her to cover her hand on his cock and slow her down. “So… impatient,” he whispered every bit as breathless as she was. She grinned and tightened her hold on him, eliciting another low groan.

“Fuck me.” She was not above begging if warranted. And she was desperate.

Finally, he obliged her, very much on his own terms, by swatting her hand away from him and settling above her. He worked his way up slowly and thoroughly. Hands travelled higher on the insides of her thighs, gently coaxing them apart to make more room for his body. Mouth wandered from her hipbone to her breast where it caused blissful sighs to fall from her lips when he sucked in her nipple and teased it with tongue and teeth.

She received his unbearably drawn-out administrations caught between pleasure and frustration. She had craved hard and quick and dirty but she enjoyed herself too much to not indulge him. With eyes shut tight, Jyn just gave herself over to the sensations. She shuddered under his mouth and hands, craning her neck when he kissed his way up until their lips finally locked again.

For a moment he hovered over her, his hardness so close to where she ached for him. She reached for his cock again and gently guided him to her entrance. He followed her lead obediently, brushing his tip over her wet slit. She angled her hips and he slipped into her folds. The sensation of his length in her ripped another moan from her.

He stalled and allowed her to get accustomed to the stretch. Joreth Sward was a considerate lover, it seemed. They shared a sensuous kiss before he started moving again, searching for the perfect rhythm. Thrusting at a slow pace, skin rubbing on skin, their love-making was a sweet kind of agony that had her whining, wordlessly begging for more.

Jyn urged him on, grip tightening, frantically chasing release. She moved her hips, meeting his thrusts, seeking the right angle to have him go in deeper, build the friction, hitting just the right spot. A gasp escaped her as they finally found the perfect position, unable to hold herself back when he slipped deep into her again and again. His own moans an answer to her pleasure. White-hot fire surged through her with every thrust from his hips, building and building and building. Her movements and thoughts became erratic. She shuddered around him. He pushed into her harder, his control slipping as well.

A powerful wave swallowed her when she came, muscles tightening hard, convulsing around his cock, and for a while all thought was erased by ecstasy. She clung to him, holding on to the sensation for all she could give. He found his own release while she was still lost in the throes of her orgasm and they helplessly rode the wave together, slowly coming down from the high.

Out of breath he collapsed onto her, hot and slick with sweat and she allowed herself a moment to get lost in his embrace with her blood rushing in her ears. She felt so very alive and more relaxed than she had been in many months.

She pushed him off with a small, carefree laugh _. Fucking Lt. Sward turned out to be a fantastic relief for the enormous amount of stress that came with being undercover._

She waited with closed eyes until her panting calmed down before turning to him, covering them with the sheets and curling into his side. He slowly blinked at her, completely spent, and Jyn realized that the sedative finally was starting to kick in. For a second a part of her actually felt sorry for drugging him, and she leaned over for a small peck to his lips. _Sentimental foolishness_.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “You and I, we’re gonna be having so much fun,” she mumbled into his skin. She felt rather than heard his chuckle like a rumble through his chest.

Within minutes, he eased into a heavy sleep. She put a hand on his chest, counting his slow heartbeat for a long while. Then she slipped out of bed and collected her underwear. All she had to do now was to get rid of that _kriffing_ droid.

The door opened with a low hiss, and she checked that Sward hadn’t moved.

Her good fortune held. As promised, the KX unit had left the suite. Jyn breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t plan to push her luck and immediately went to work. A small data pad with a decryption program was hidden in her medpack. She had come well prepared. With a few quick steps, she had reached the place where her belt had been carelessly discarded.

She froze.

Her ID card was missing.

The droid must have taken it.

Frantically, she searched for it again. _No, it was gone._ It could mean just one thing. _She was caught._ A soft curse escaped her lips. _Perhaps there was another explanation?_ But no, her frenzied mind came up with no other idea than that the KX had taken the ID card to check up on her.

Bile rose up in her throat. She fought down her panic. _What now?_ Even with a head-start, she probably had less than an hour before the Imps had searched the entire vessel. She had to do it now. Destroy the Spectre before it was too late.

She connected her pad with the terminal and started the decryption of the activation codes. In the few minutes it took the program to run, she quickly cleaned herself up in the fresher and got dressed. A small ping announced success. She memorized the codes and unplugged her pad. It was safely stacked in her hip-pack alongside Sward’s ID card. All that was left was to hope a Lieutenant’s clearance was high enough to allow her access wherever she needed.

Jyn took the sonic scalpel from the med pack and slipped it carefully in her sleeve.

She breathed in.

_Time to become the Spectre’s Destruction._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part probably will take me even longer to post because it's giving me problems and I'm thinking about a complete rewrite...


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